Success Stories

The Client

Solutia is a world leader in the petro-chemical industry. Its heavy industrial plant located in LaSalle, Québec produces polymers for fine paper production, resins for automobile and appliance enamels, and plasticizers for flooring and packaging applications.

Britton Electric’s Mandate

The mandate entailed the modernization of Solutia‘s plant, updating it from manual to automated processes. This involved the installation of new state-of-the-art process computers as well as replacing or modifying of all of the industrial instrumentation devices in the plant. It took one year to complete the entire project.

To successfully meet the mandate it was essential for Britton Electric to sustain high levels of coordination and to work in close partnership with the client. There were 2 project managers from Britton Electric and 5 project managers from Solutia involved at all times.

The cost of project was an important criterion for Solutia. Britton Electric was given a very strict budget that was not to be exceeded. With professional management of its labour, Britton Electric was able to respond with ‘just in time’ resources. At any given point there were, at a minimum, 8 electricians on site. Only when required, for specific segments of the project, Britton Electric engaged 16 electricians. In this way redundant staffing and unnecessary expenditures were avoided and Britton Electric met its commitment to Solutia.

The Scope of Work

The entire mandate was divided into 5 main projects, each of which consisted of many tasks. In total, there were approximately 250 tasks to complete.

Britton’s Strengths

Renovation

Power distribution

Britton’s Specialized Expertise

Industrial equipment installation

High voltage exterior and interior substations

Plant set-up

Instrumentation and control

Repair, refurbish and rebuild electrical equipment

Motor control

The Challenges

The client stipulated that none of the plant’s manufacturing facilities could be interrupted and all the electrical work had to be done while the plant was in full operation. In order to accommodate this requirement, a very strict work schedule was put into place. Additionally, due to the complexity and scope of the project, every stage had to be completed on time in order to move on to the next phase. Deadlines had to be met, without exception, on a daily basis.

The electricians were working in a dangerous chemical environment, therefore it was necessary to obtain permits, to follow strict procedures and to use specialized security equipment in order to complete the job in a safe and secure manner. Britton Electric’s team successfully met all of Solutia’s strict safety standards.

The equipment was 20 years old. Before any work could be done, the electricians needed to have a solid understanding of all the components, many of which had been modified numerous times over the years, by the client. These modifications had not been documented, therefore Britton Electric produced drawings of portions of the electrical circuitry to bring the plans up to date.

It was necessary to inspect, verify and record the work as it progressed, with all changes documented for Solutia. Then, all changes were incorporated into the final plans providing the client with complete and up to date documentation.

During the entire project Solutia was able to maintain full production. Britton Electric completed all the work on time, on budget and as planned.

The Challenges

Work in partnership with the client

Meet the strictest of deadlines on a daily basis

Work under difficult and dangerous conditions

Scale the number of electricians required to the respective requirements of each project to control expenses while ensuring the appropriate staffing levels

Respond and adapt to the complexities of the mandate

Bring the project in on budget

We provide a single point of contact and take the time to learn about each client’s business.

Understanding that no two projects
are the same, Britton Electric’s
operations are set up to be responsive
to our customers’ needs.

This allows us to offer solutions
that make sense and maintain a
tight cost control of each job.